Nickelodeon Universe
The Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, is one of the few malls to house an entire theme park within its doors. Welcome to Nickelodeon Universe. This park, which bases its rides and attractions on Nickelodeon themes and characters, is the largest indoor park for families in the United States of America. The theme park, located in the center of the mall, is seven acres in size. The park was built by Knott’s Berry Farm, but was managed by Cedar Fair, who purchased Knott’s Berry Farm in 1998. Its layout is composed of various floor heights, with the highest floor level being fifteen feet taller than the lowest ground height. The park is covered in natural plants, giving it a natural, earthy feel. Although the park may look brand new, with new rides and fresh paint on the older rides, it's been around for a while. The park was originally called Knott's Camp Snoopy, but the Knott's part was eventually dropped. It was built in 1992 with the opening of the Mall of America. The park had, and still has, an outdoors-type of feel to it. But the park made only small references to the Charles M. Schulz’s “Peanuts” comic strip characters. So on the 9th of January, 2006, the Mall of America announced that the Peanuts branding would end on the 19th of January. Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., (which owns the national rights to amusement-park branding of the Peanuts license) decided the Mall of America was not doing a good enough job of promoting the “Peanuts” theme at the mall and outside of the mall. The park was temporarily renamed “The Park at MOA.” The former Camp Snoopy announced a new licensing deal on the 25th of July, 2007. The new park would be called “Nickelodeon Universe.” Construction began on the 27th of August, 2007. Then, Nickelodeon Universe opened on the 12th of March, 2008 with a new look and twenty new attractions. Twenty-five million dollars in renovations took place to change and add new rides and attractions, and over 4,400 hours of labor took place by PCL Construction to set up the new rides. Some of the new Nickelodeon rides include the Splat-O-Sphere vertical drop, Rugrats Raptarmobiles bumper cars, and Blue’s Skidoo. In the Blue’s Skidoo, children ride in mechanical airplanes that have themes from the preschool television show, Blues Clues. Some of the old roller coasters were given new paint jobs and names. The first roller coaster to have its named changed is the Pepsi Ripsaw, which opened in 1992, and is now being called the Orange Streak. Second is 2004's Timberland Twister, now known as the Fairly Odd Coaster (based on the Nickelodeon Show the Fairly Odd Parents). The third roller coaster with a name change is the Lil Shaver. This coaster is now being called the Barnyard Barnstormer, referencing the show Back at the Baryard. However, not all of the Nickelodeon theme comes from name changes alone. Two completely new roller coasters did in fact open with Nickelodeon Universe in 2008. These coasters are the SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge and the Avatar Airbender. The SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge is the shortest roller coaster that the German roller coaster company Gerstlauer has ever made, but no coaster should be judged by height alone. Although the coaster is only sixty-seven feet tall, its angle of descent is an amazing ninety-seven degrees. The coaster also has two inversions. The coaster's cost was $2.9 million to build. But this isn't the only new roller coaster that packs a punch. The Avatar Airbender will also get the riders' adrenaline flowing. The Avatar Airbender''is a roller coaster themed after the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. This ride is a half-pipe that rises seventy feet to the top and back while spinning the riders during its entire duration. Although relatively small compared to other roller coasters, the ride's aim was to be fun for all ages. Nickelodeon Universe also opened a number of other non-roller-coaster rides in March of 2008. As mentioned earlier, there are twenty new attractions. On ''Danny Phantom Ghost Zone, riders embark on a ghost hunting adventure, sitting in theater style seats while rotating in a 360 degree, clockwise motion. Next we come to the Wonder Pets Flyboat, a ride lifts kids twenty feet in the air, and then springs up and down until returning back to the ground. Then there is the Swiper’s Sweeper, which rotates kids around in a “Kiddie Whip” fashion, while the Swiper, the character from Dora the Explorer, tries to take their belongings. On Pine Apple Popper, kids can bounce on a pineapple that looks like the residence of the popular cartoon character SpongeBob. Now we come to the La Aventura de Azul, a ride based on the character Azul from the show Dora the Explorer. On Azul, passengers take a ride on train as they journey through the land of Dora the Explorer. Meanwhile, on Diego’s Rescue Adventure, passengers take a ride on a bus in search of animals to rescue. The ride is based on the show “Diego’s Rescue Adventure.” Another new addition to Nickelodeon Universe is the Backyardigans Swing, on which riders swing up to twenty-seven feet on a swing set based on the show Backyardigans. El Circulo del Cielo is a ferris-wheel- and Dora-the-Explorer-lover's dream come true as it rotates to reach seven stories. Still another attraction for guests to explore is the Naked Brothers Crazy Cars where riders can bash into each other in bumper cars that are themed after the show. On Splat-O-Sphere, riders are taken up 60 feet in the air before they drop to the ground. And lastly, thrill-seekers can experience an inverting, spinning ride when they take on Tak Attack, based on the show Tak and the Power of JuJu. So what if you aren't a fan of roller coasters or rides in general? In that case, you can still visit any of the nine restaurants. One restaurant, based in Chicago by the Levy Restaurants, is called EATS. Eats provides customers with healthy foods to pick from including flatbreads, baked goods, and fresh-carved sandwiches. In addition, there are plenty of shops throughout the park. Four of the shops sell Nickelodeon-branded items. One of the Nickelodeon stores, located in the north section of the park, has the largest supply of Nickelodeon merchandise in the world. And be on the look out for Nickelodeon characters walking through the park such as SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, and Jimmy Neutron. So whether you're a thrill seeker, a shopper, or just want some fun entertainment for the whole family, Nickelodeon Universe is for you. Don't let the Nickelodeon name fool you; this park isn't just for kids. No one will be left sitting out at this park. Everyone can find something they enjoy with rides and attraction suitable for all ages. So bring your friends and family and head out to Nickelodeon Universe! Present Roller Coasters (?) Past Roller Coasters (?) Category:Amusement parks